Steering post for automobiles



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,367

G R. DERR STEERING POST FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed April 4, 1925 syn 02114 01:

Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

PATENT orrics.

GUY R. DER-R, OF SANTA MARGARITA, CALIFORNIA.

STEERING POST'FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed April 4, 1925. Serial No. 20,809.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUY R. DERR, a citi- Zen of the United States, and a resident of Santa Margarita, county of San Luis Obispo and State of California, have invented a new and useful iprovement in Steering Posts for Autom' iles, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in steering posts for automobiles, and its particular object is to provide a steering post that will be more convenient to handle than the steering )ostordinarily used in the present motorveliicle and will provide a better means of locking same against use. It is particularly proposed for this purpose to provide a steering post arranged horirzontallv with the steering wheel at the end thereof disposed in a vertica'l plane, and allowing the driver to manipulate the wheel while his elbows rest against his body, the vertical position of the Wheel allowing the latter to be handled by merely pushing upward on one side and pulling straight downward on the other side.

One of the advantages of this arrangement is that it allows the driverto hold his arms in the position which comes most natural to most people and a further advantage is that the steering wheel which usually, particularly in large cars, obstructs a portion of the field of vision, can be disosed in such a manner asto be clearly below the latter field. Y

It is further proposed to arrange the steering post in such a manner that it is extensible and allows the driver to push the steering wheel forward toward the dashboard of the motor vehicle when he wishes to leave the machine or to enter the same, while; when seated, he may draw the wheel toward his seat into a position where it is mostconvenient to handle, also that when the wheel is pushed forward as far as it will go it becomes operatively disengaged so that the vehicle cannot be steered with it, and it may be then lockedagainst pulling out into engagement. Further,objectsand advantagesof my de vice will appear as the specification proj-ceeds. v r a The preferred form of .my invention. is illustrated in itlieaccon'ipanying drawing, in wl1ioh.

; Eignre lfgshowsgaia assembly arrangement form of the invention, it should be un derstood that various changes or modifications maybe made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Of the automobile 1 only the front part is shown including a portion of the frame 2 resting on the springs 3 which latter are supported by wheels 4:. A seat 6 is arranged a convenient distance behind the dashboard 7 and a suitable bracket 8 is supported on the frame in front of the latter board. The bracket 8 supports two vertically alined bearings 9 in which is revolvably mounted a vertical shaft 11 terminating at the top in a bevel gear 12 and at the bottom in a bevel gear 13. The latter meshes with the bevel gear 14 mounted coaxially with the steering arm 16 which latter manipulates the tie bar 17 connected with the steering knuckle of the motor vehicle of conventional construction and, therefore, not shown in the drawing. vT he upper bevel gear 12 meshes with a bevel gear 18 on the shaft l9 supported in a bearing 21 forming part of the bracket. 8 and in a sleeve 22 slidable in a bearing 23 associated with the board 24 projecting dmvnwardly from the windshield 26.

c The shaft 19 is disposed in a horizontal position and extends lengthwise of the body of the vehicle. The tube 22 which is slidable on the shaft 19 and is held against rotary motion by short keys at its inner end riding in registering grooves 20 of the shaft and has a steering wheel 27 secured to the rear end'thereof and may be slid backward and forward on the shaft 19 between the full line position and the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 so that in one positlon 1t 1s convenient to handle for the driver seated on the seat 6 while 111 the dotted line position it does not interfere with the driver entering the car or leaving the same.

lVhen the steering wheel is pushed forward to the limit of its motion the short keys pass out of the grooves and are free in an annular recess in the shaft 19 so as to disengage the telescopic portions of the steering post and permit the steering wheel to revolve loosely without steering the vehicle.

Also when the wheel is pushed forward as described an annular groove 5 formed on the steering post adjacent the wheel is brought in alinement with a bolt of a lock 31 positioned on the bearing and the bolt may belocked into the groove 5 by means of the key 32 thus holding the wheel against the dash free to revolve and proof against pulling back into operative engagement.

Means are also provided in combination with the extensible steering post for locking the tube 22 in any degree of extension desired. For this purpose I provide a rod 28 supported in the hub 29 of the steering wheel and held against end wise motion relative to the wheel by the collar 33 confined between the end of the tube and the hub of the steeringwheel. The front end of the rod extends into a bore 34 of the shaft 19 and carries a disk 36 coextensive in diameter with the bore. The disk 36 is recessed as shown at 3. in Figure 4: and when this recess is alined with a row of projections 38 in the shaft, it allows the rod 28 and with it the tube 22 to slide freely relative to the shaft 19. When the rod 28 is turned, however, by means of a handle 39, the disk is made to enter one of the spaces between the projections 38 and interlocks with the two adjacentprojections so as to PIGWZHt endwise motion of the rod and the tube 22. It should be understood that there are other equivalent ways of rendering the steering post extensible and a second form is illustrated in Figures 3 and 6. In ,the latter case the tube 1-1 is revolvably supported but [ixed against longitudinal movement and has a bevel gear 42 meshing with the bevel gear 12 secured thereto, while a hollow shaft 43 is slidable in the tube i1. To hold the hollow shaft against revolving motion relative to the tube a1, lines of projections 44: extending inwardly from the tube are made to ride in registering grooves 46 in the outer faces of a collar onthe hollow shaft 43. A rod 17 secured to the steering wheel in the manner previously described relative to the rod28 has a disk48 at its front end made coeiztensive with the dimensions of the collar on hollow shaft and provided with a notch 4:9 which latter is made to register with one of the grooves -16 and in that case allows of cndwise motion of the hollow shaft but which may also'be turned so that the disk interlocks with two adjacent projections n of the tube 41.

This arrangement of telescopic steering post also frees the wheel section from rotative engagement with the gear section by the grooved collar 45 of the tube 413 being pushed beyond the last of the projections 1 1 where it is free to revolve. The grooves in the collar are beveled. at 46 so as to. cooperate with the beveled'end 44 of the last projection for easy entrance for reengagement. V

This form also locks with wheel in position against the dash by the groove 5 adjacent the steering wheel being broughtunder the lock 31 as for the other form described. V.

The mannerlof using the adjustable feature of my steering post will be readily understood from the foregoing description. Normally the sleeve 22 of Figure 1 is'pushed into the most forward position indicated in dotted lines and then interferes very little with the driver entering the car or leaving the same. After the driver has taken his seat he pulls the steering wheel backward to any place that is most convenient for n ianipulating the same, and he thereupon turns the handle 39 whereby he locks the steering wheel in that particular position. Any rotary motion of the steering wheel is imparted through the bevel gears 18 and 12 and the bevel gears 13. and 14 to the steering arm 16 and the tie bar 17 which latter aotuates the steering knuckle. This arrangement allows the driver to hold his arms in the mostcomfortable position, it places the steering wheel so as not to interfere with the field of vision and it allows the same to be manipulated by a straight downward pull on one side of the steering wheel and a straight upward push on the other side.

I claim: 2

1. Means for operating a steering knuckle tie bar of a motor vehicle comprising an extensible steering post with a steering wheel secured thereto and operativeconnections from the steering post to the knuckle, and means for locking said post in minimum extension with the wheel free for non-operative rotation.

2. Means for operating a steering knuckle tie bar of a motor vehicle comprising'a'teliescopic steering postoperatively connected to the steering knuckle and with a-steering wheel on the end lof' onetele s'c'opicsection,

means for engaging the sections for common rotation and means for locking thewheei carrying section in disen ageme t;

Means for operating a's'teering-knuckle tie bar of a motor vehicle comprising a horizontally and longitudinally disposed sleering post consisting of two sections in sections for common rotation made to hetelescoping engagement, an operative concome inactive when full telescoping engagenection between one of the sections and the ment is effected and means for locking the 10 tie bar, a steering Wheel at the free end of steering Wheel section against endwise the other section, means for interlocking motion in the latter position.

the two sections against telescoping motion GUY R. DERR.

at desired points, means for engaging the 

